by Michael Gunther
Over this last year, as businesses have been suffering from the biggest economic downturn in our lifetime, many have been faced with industry's version of the blue screen: sales paralysis. And as we all know, when you are faced with a blue screen, it's time to reboot.
A reboot is another way of getting a fresh start; a new outlook; a different approach. Pretend you are starting your business today. How would you find clients? What would you do differently in terms of sales? What systems or processes would you need to to put in place to allow you to achieve your sales goals?
You might take a hard look at your sales process (e.g. how you generate leads, how you sell your product or services, who you qualify as target clients), your strategies, and the skills of your team. Break free from the fear of "not enough" common to sales and contributory to paralysis; instead, operate under a veil of opportunity.
Realize that it is completely natural to have to EARN your customer's patronage. We've become a little lethargic in our sales process in recently years, there was such an abundance of business; so now's a good time to brush up on the basics of selling and building a business.
Sales is a Science; a step by step process that when followed consistently and when constantly evaluated will allow you to achieve sales success even in the most challenging economic climate.